What does "surprise" mean?
Something unexpected.
Surprise
/səˈpɹaɪz/ intj, name, noun, verb
intj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something unexpected.
- Grammar: surprise is listed as intj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: amazement, shock, admiration, alarm.
- Useful contrasts: habituated, anticipating, bore.
- Usage evidence: It's not much of a surprise, is it?
How to use "surprise"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "surprise" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "surprise" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "surprise" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "surprise" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "surprise" is acting as intj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "amazement" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "surprise", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something unexpected. countable, uncountable
"It was a surprise to find out I owed twice as much as I thought."
- 2 the act of surprising someone wordnet
- 3 Something unexpected.; A mess of feces, left by a pet or small child in an unexpected place or at an unexpected time. countable, uncountable
"After the housecleaners drove off, the cat left a surprise for us on the carpet."
- 4 a sudden unexpected event wordnet
- 5 The feeling that something unexpected has happened. countable, uncountable
"Imagine my surprise on learning I owed twice as much as I thought I did."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you wordnet
Verb
- 1 To cause (someone) to feel unusually alarmed or delighted by something unexpected. transitive
"It surprises me that I owe twice as much as I thought I did."
- 2 cause to be surprised wordnet
- 3 To do something to (a person) that they are not expecting, as a surprise. transitive
"He doesn’t know that I’m in the country – I thought I’d turn up at his house and surprise him."
- 4 attack by storm; attack suddenly wordnet
- 5 To undergo or witness something unexpected. intransitive
"He doesn’t surprise easily."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 come upon or take unawares wordnet
- 7 To cause surprise. intransitive
- 8 To attack unexpectedly. transitive
- 9 To take unawares. transitive
""You were right," replied Isabella, "and I should not have surprised your confidence, had I not had something I wished to say. I know what you mean to do with Mr. Glentworth's gift—a marriage would scarcely be one without wedding-dresses—he has been equally generous to me, and you must keep the money till it is wanted, which, I hope, will be soon.""
Intj
- 1 Drawing attention to a surprising action by oneself.
""Surprise!" we shouted as we jumped out from the cupboard. "Happy birthday!""
- 2 Drawing attention to something that should have been obvious. sarcastic
"When we add code modules, we will have an additional folder called (surprise!) Modules."
Proper Noun
- 1 A number of places in the United States:; A city in Maricopa County, Arizona, the largest place with this name.
- 2 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Jackson County, Indiana.
- 3 A number of places in the United States:; A village in Butler County, Nebraska.
- 4 A number of places in the United States:; A populated place in Greene County, New York.
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; Former name of Surprise Station, California.
Antonyms
Example
"It's not much of a surprise, is it?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "surprise"?
Common synonyms include: amazement, shock, admiration, alarm, amaze, amaze.
How do you use "surprise" in a sentence?
It's not much of a surprise, is it?
How do you pronounce "surprise"?
Pronounced /səˈpɹaɪz/.
Etymology
From Middle English surprise, borrowed from Middle French surprise (“an overtake”), nominal use of the past participle of Old French sorprendre (“to overtake”), from sor- (“over”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin super- + Latin prendere, contracted from prehendere (“to grasp, seize”). Doublet of suppli.